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Blue Dog Dems Hedge Bets on Net Neutrality

In a possible rebuke to President Obama and his new FCC chairman, 72 House Democrats signed on to a letter sent Friday to the five members of the Federal Communications Commission asking them to reconsider a proposal to adopt “network neutrality” rules. Among the members who signed the letter include leaders of the Blue Dog coalition – a group of conservative-leaning Democrats, and leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“It’s a pity that 72 members of the Blue Dog Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus are deserting one of the fundamental planks of President Obama’s platform – a free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet,” said Public Knowledge co-founder Gigi Sohn. “The people who those members of Congress represent are the most at risk from the closed, controlling Internet that the phone and cable companies want.”